Ásgeir gave a captivating performance at the Fredric March Play Circle Theater Saturday night, blending deep, layered synth tracks with more conventional guitar and keyboard sounds to produce the fascinating semi-folk rock, semi-electronic feel that his native island of Iceland seems to champion.
His album, In the Silence, is the highest selling debut album in Icelandic history, surpassing that of both Sigur Rós and Björk. Ásgeir’s clear, unsullied voice is his signature talent, which is essential to his distinctive sound and indisputably the cause for his fame.
In The Silence, also known as Dýrð í dauðaþögn, was originally recorded in Icelandic. With the help of American songwriter John Grant, the album was translated into English to appeal to a more global audience.
Throughout the show, Ásgeir seamlessly transitioned between English and Icelandic lyrics, giving the music an almost mystical quality.
For their first Wisconsin show, Ásgeir and his heavily bearded four-man backing band opened with “Head In The Snow” and the title track. Both songs painted alluring vocal harmonies and guitar chords over a backdrop of syncopated drumbeats and soft synths.
Audiences were also treated to Ásgeir’s cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.” Originally voiced with all the grunge and grit one could expect from Nirvana, Ásgeir reimagined the song in a much more elegant way, showcasing his ability to convey a song’s intensity with mounting electronic tones, layered harmonies and conservative percussion.
He ended his set with “King and Cross,” an obvious fan favorite, which brought out the strong folk-rock facet of his music. The song retains Ásgeir’s typical electronic sound, but placed greater emphasis on acoustic guitar and carried a brighter tone than many of his previous tracks.
In response to enthusiastic applause from the audience, Ásgeir returned to the stage to perform “On That Day.” His band then rejoined him on stage to end the night with a house-busting rendition of the crowd favorite, “Torrent,” with its driving beat, complex instrumentalism and simple yet innovative vocals.
The concert displayed a variety of sounds and styles that have emerged from Ásgeir’s intriguing combination of the conventional and the unorthodox, the acoustic and the electric and the sounds of one generation with the sounds of another.
